A Second Chance: The Sequel
by Jaid Skywalker
Summary: I updated! *GASP* lol, aren't you all surprised? Anyway, yes, another filler chapter. Don't worry, we'll be getting action soon...there's a dead body, does that count for action? Oh well, R&R!!! plz!!!
1. I

Jaid: This story is a sequel to "A Second Chance", as I'm sure you could tell from the title. You should really read it, it's not long at all. But if you don't want to take the time, this is the gist of it: Inu-Yasha was killed and his reincarnation turns out to be Hojo. Miroku also has a reincarnation: Gabriel "Gabe" Sanchez. Kagome is not allowed to go through the well any longer, since her mission in the feudal era has ended. Now, in the modern world, she and Hojo are just beginning to realize why Kikyo and Inu-Yasha have been reincarnated. 

Reviewer response is at the bottom. 

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(Kagome's POV) 

It's been five years now. Five years since we married. Hojo and I were a little nervous that first year; questions about our reincarnation still bothering us. I thought for sure that something would happen. But nothing did. Life was perfectly normal. We were confused for a little while, but then we just got used to things. Hojo and I had been running the antiques shop pretty successfully and recently, we were both blessed with a little girl, who we named Miaka. 

Right now I am going over some bills at the counter. It is almost closing time and as it has been a slow day, I'm ready to end the workday and do something more interesting. 

Hojo comes in from the back room. "They call about that shipment yet?" he asked, going to one of our jewelry counters and putting something in. 

"No." I answered. Hojo gave a weary grunt in reply. 

"Miaka's up." He said, looking at me. "I put her in her playpen. Sari's with her." 

I nod. Sari is a twelve-year-old girl who lives nearby our small house and spends a lot of time with us. Her mother has to work, so she is alone a lot of the time. We like to have her around; both for her company and the fact that she is fascinated by our little baby. 

The bell above the door chimes and Hojo and I look up. A young woman enters, her waist length dark hair in a tight French Braid. Behind her is a good looking young man. We both grin. 

"Hello Gabe!" I call. He smiles and he and the young woman come to my counter. Hojo walks up behind me. 

"Hey you two." Gabe motions to the woman. "This is San Atasuki. She's my partner." 

Gabe had gone to college and decided to go into law enforcement; specifically narcotics. I looked at San. She had a rather serious expression and seemed a bit stern. 

"She needs something for her grandmother." Gabe went on. "Birthday, right?" He looked at the woman. 

"Yes." San answered. "She likes antiques. Pottery, wall hangings, little statues." 

"Okay." I nod. "I think we have some over here." 

I led her next to the jewelry counter where we keep pottery and some stone things. We discussed styles for a few minutes and then I got some pieces out for her to look at. Hojo and Gabe were talking quietly where we had left them. 

San picked up a small stone dragon. "This is nice." She said, inspecting it. I opened my mouth to tell her a bit about it when she suddenly spoke. 

"I'll take this." She decided, then in a louder voice added, "Sanchez, quit staring at my ass." 

Blinking I looked at my husband's friend. He had a rather pained, embarrassed expression. Hojo was chuckling beneath his hand. Shaking my head and suppressing my own laughter, I wrapped the dragon securely and took it to Hojo. After San had paid and they'd left, Hojo turned to me. 

"He never learns." 

I smiled. "No." 

Hojo kissed the top of my head. "I'm going to lock up the back. Why don't you get the girls in the car? We can drop Sari off at home. Her mom is going to be back early today." 

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(Gabe's POV) 

"That was a nice thing to say." I commented sarcastically, as San and I get into our patrol car and drive away. 

"It was true, wasn't it?" she raises her eyebrow. 

"I think I liked it better when you were just a kid running around the apartment complex and calling yourself Turtle." I muttered. 

"I could kick you in the shins if it makes you feel better." Was her reply. The rest of the trip was silent. I dropped her off at her house and headed to my own apartment. I figured it would be a quiet evening; we'd gotten the night off. Quiet it pretty much was. I decided to turn in about nine. 

I'm not sure what made me wake up, but I suddenly was startled out of sleep. Shaking my head, I rolled over and was about to get more comfortable, when something clattered in the kitchen. I frowned and got up, debating whether I needed my gun or not. Probably not, I reasoned. It was most likely the neighbor's cat, who had a bad habit of coming in open doors or windows. 

"All right, Jo, you need to go out." I said, turning the kitchen light on. No cat. I frowned at the knife board that had been toppled over, sighed and picked it up. I frowned even harder when I saw one missing. Shrugging, I put the board back on the counter, when in the corner of my eye, something black seemed to whiz past. I whirled around. Nothing there. 

I stood there, wondering if I had had something to drink before bed and simply didn't remember. I shrugged this off too and decided to get some sleep. I was just about in the doorway of the kitchen when I noticed a weird black shadow on the floor. What was weird was that it was moving. Towards me. 

Well, that kinda freaked me out and I jumped back. All of a sudden, the flat black thing rose up into something that looked like a cross between a lizard and a snake. It had red eyes. 

My mouth dry, I backed up. The…whatever the hell it was looked at me and gave a weird, high-pitched giggle that sent shivers up my spine. It moved. 

"Stay back." I warned, groping for a knife, pan whatever. Just something to defend myself against it. It only giggled again and melted back into the floor and disappeared. I stood in the kitchen for a moment, then bolted for my room. I pulled on some clothes, grabbed my gun and keys, then ran out. I wasn't staying a minute longer in there. 

I sped down the street and swore I heard the damn giggle all the way there. Only it sounded as if there were more of them. 

_I'm drunk, I must be drunk._ I thought. I pulled up to San's house; she was the closest. I was shaking by the time I got out of the car and up to the front door. I ran the doorbell. San opened it and I bolted in then slammed the door behind me. 

She stood for a moment, staring at me. "Are you okay?" she asked. 

"Something's after me." I said. 

"Something." She repeated blankly. I looked at her, then realized she must have just gotten back from her Grandmother's party, as evidenced by the nice slacks and soft looking yellow sweater blouse she wore. Her hair was loose too. 

"Nothing." I said. I suddenly felt very ridiculous, standing in her house. I must have been dreaming. I shook my head. "It's nothing. I was just…I was being stupid." 

She gave me a look then sighed. "You want to stay a minute? To be frank, you looked like you've seen a ghost." 

I smiled wanly. "Sure." I said. "But not…" I trailed off as San paled. Then I realized she wasn't looking at me, but behind me. I heard the dreaded giggle again. I spun around, gun in my hand. The shadow creature stood there, scaly hand over its snout and laughing. 

"Weak humans scared, yes?" it laughed again and sort of slithered towards us. San was gripping my arm tightly as we both backed up. 

"What the hell?" she whispered. 

"I dunno, but it was in my apartment." I muttered. "Head for the back door." 

"And what?" she demanded. 

"Run like hell?" I suggested weakly. "I don't think we can hurt it." 

All of a sudden, there were more. They came from cracks under the door, in the sides of windows, even cracks in the walls. San gave a curious sort of gulp. 

"We're surrounded." She whispered. 

"I noticed." We were back to back. I still had my gun and San had grabbed a heavy table lamp, but I didn't think we were going to be able to ward off whatever these things were. 

The one that had spoke rose up bigger than the rest and hissed at me. It's eyes shown redder and opening its mouth, it dived towards me. 

"No!" I shouted bringing my hands up to shield my face. There was a squawk and then a clang and what sounded like sparks. I lowered my hands and saw the shadow thing on the ground wriggling. A sharp pain thundered through my head and I winced.

"How'd you do that?" San asked. 

"I dunno." I said. 

"Can you do it again?" she asked fearfully. "Cause I think they're all going to attack this time." 

"I don't know." I said. "Maybe." 

"Maybe!?" 

"That's the best I can do!" I said. I wasn't sure what to do. I closed my eyes and brought up my hands again, trying to imagine a barrier between the shadow monsters and us. 

"Oh my god." I heard San whisper. 

"What?" I muttered. 

"I think you're doing something right." 

"Nice." I said stiffly, trying to concentrate. The shadow monsters rushed at us but I heard them being deflected. It hurt them, I could tell from the screeching. But it hurt me too. It felt almost like being stabbed. 

We stayed that way all night. There was a close call when I almost fell asleep and one almost got through. I don't think I've ever been so tired or sore. 

The sun finally rose and the sun sent beams through the window. The monster faded away into black mist. I relaxed. 

"You okay?" San asked tiredly. I looked at her. 

"Yeah, fine." 

We both stood. 

"What was that?" 

"I don't know. But whatever it was…" I trailed off. I had told San I was fine, but my head was pounding and my whole body was throbbing in protest. I felt my eyes shut against my will and everything went black. 

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(Hojo's POV) 

I woke up the next morning. My mouth was dry and I realized it had been another dream. I had never been rid of them. They didn't happen as frequently as they used too, but occasionally I would have an exceptionally bad one. 

I stood in the bathroom, running the cold water over my hands and splashing it on my face. I heard Miaka crying, then Kagome getting out of bed and leaving the room. 

The phone rang. 

"I got it!" I called, shutting the water off. Picking up the receiver, I said "Hello?" 

"Is this Hojo?" a feminine voice asked. 

"Yeah." 

"This is San Atasuki. We met yesterday at your shop." Her voice was clear and precise. 

"Yeah." 

"I'm sorry for waking you up so early but…" she trailed off and for the first time I could hear a quaver in her voice. "Would you and Mrs. Hojo mind coming down here?" 

"Where?" 

"The hospital. I just brought Gabe in." 

A cold hand clutched my heart. I knew Gabe's work was dangerous, but still, he had never been hurt. "Yeah, we'll be down there. Which hospital?" 

She gave me directions and I wrote them down. 

"Who was that?" Kagome asked as I entered the nursery. 

"San. Gabe's partner." I swallowed. "He's in the hospital." 

Kagome shot me a sympathetic, concerned glance. "Let's get dressed and go." She said quietly. 

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(San's POV) 

"Do you think you can over that again, Ms. Atasuki?" the doctor asked. I ground my teeth. We'd been over this several times already. 

"Look, I don't know what it happened. Can't you figure it out?" I finally said helplessly. The doctor sighed and nodded, then stood. I did as well. 

"Can you tell me at least what condition he's in?" I asked quietly. 

"As far as we can tell, his muscles are violently twitching, which to be blunt is wreaking havoc with his nervous system. He is also suffering from extreme exhaustion." The doctor looked at me. "The level to wear he is so worn out, it could very well kill him." 

I bit my lip and looked at the ground. The doctor was quiet for a moment, then spoke.

"You can see him now, if you want." 

I waited till he had left the lounge, then got up and walked down the hall to Gabe's room. My nerves were shot through. 

I am a police officer and Gabe and I work a hard section of town. I've been in shoot-outs; I've seen people get killed. I've seen parents who beat their kids and husbands who beat their wives and lots of other things that aren't real pretty. 

But what had happened last night was freaky. It was something I've never experienced. And I was worried about Gabe. In spite of his faults, he's a likable guy and he's my partner. 

I entered the room. Gabe's eyes were still closed and his face was taut and strained. He looked worn and old. I swallowed and sat down. 

Just then two more people entered the room; Mr. and Mrs. Hojo. They both looked worried. 

"What happened?" Hojo asked. "I thought you were off last night?" 

I stood. "It's kinda hard to explain-" 

"He wasn't shot." Mrs. Hojo said softly, then looked at me. "Was he?" 

"No." I answered slowly. Something in her tone caught me off guard. Almost as if she suspected what had happened. The other woman nodded and lowered her head to her baby's. 

"No, he wasn't shot." I continued. 

"I'm just real tired." A weak, hoarse voice caused us all to turn. Gabe's blue eyes were blinking open. "And I hurt. A lot." His breathing sounded slightly labored, but if what the doctor said was true, his spasming back must be making it hard to breathe. 

Hojo walked over to his side. "You look like shit." He said bluntly. "I thought you had been shot." 

"I wish I had." Gabe tried to smile, but he sounded more pained and tired than I could ever remember. 

"I'll go get the doctor." I stated, then left the room. 

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(Kagome's POV) 

The doctor came in and chased us out. We sat in the lounge. San looked terribly exhausted and most likely against her will, kept dozing off. Hojo finally got up the courage to ask her what had happened. She gave us a bleary eyed glance, then told us what had gone on last night. When she had finished, Hojo and I were quiet. We knew what the other was thinking. 

Presently, the doctor told us that Gabe should be fine, they would notify his family and the best thing we could do was go home. We dropped San off and then went to the shop. Sari was waiting outside for us and promptly took charge of Miaka. Hojo and I worked in silence for a few moments, then Hojo slammed his fist into the wall and swore. 

I came up behind him and put my hands on his shoulders as he leaned his head against the wall. 

"Damn." He whispered. "Why now?" 

I knew what he meant. Miaka was only four months old. We couldn't afford to be in danger. 

"I don't know." I answered quietly. "I don't know." 

Hojo turned to me and put his arms around my body. I leaned into him as he buried his face in my hair. 

"What are we going to do?" he asked. "What can we do?" 

"I wish I knew how to answer that question." I said. "But I don't." I looked into his clear blue eyes. "Inu-Yasha, something is out there though. They tried to kill San and Gabe." 

He nodded. I had gotten used to calling him "Inu-Yasha" now and he had gotten used to being called by it. I only called him Hojo in front of Gabe. 

"Why them?" He murmured. 

"Maybe because whoever it was figured that they were easy prey." I murmured back. 

"Naraku?" he asked, and I felt him shudder slightly. His dreams and mine, had always been more intense when the youkai had appeared in them. 

"I guess. Maybe not." I sounded distant. I was trying to figure things out. I remembered what San had told me about Gabe making a barrier. It made sense for him to collapse; if he had powers, but didn't know how to use them, then he could have very well drained himself in ignorance. 

Hojo's arms tightened around me. "What if we're next? What if…" he stopped then started again. "What if they attack San while she's alone? Or Gabe while's he vulnerable? What if they attack Miaka or Sari?" 

"I guess we do what we can." I answered. I bit my lip. It wasn't really an answer. Part of me wanted rail and shout. Why now? Why when Hojo and I were so happy? 

"Maybe we should close the shop today." He murmured. 

"No." I pulled away. "We'll be okay. We'll figure this out." My gaze went to the sword that hung above the stores front window. Hojo followed my gaze. 

"You know how to use it." I murmured. "Maybe even now, it would obey your command." 

"Only one way to find out." Hojo grabbed a step stool that we kept in the corner and took the old scabbard down. He stood in the middle of the room, took a deep breath and unsheathed the Tetsusiega. At first the sword was just an old, rusted piece of metal. Then there was a flash. Hojo nearly dropped the sword in surprise as it became huge. 

"It worked." He said. I laughed. 

"Of course it did." I said merrily, even though I too hadn't been sure. Hojo re-sheathed it and set it near his place by the register. 

"It comes with us everywhere now." He said, rather grimly. 

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(Gabe's POV) 

God, I'm tired. They gave me some sort of painkiller, so I don't hurt anymore. But I can hardly move. I hate feeling weak. I wonder what happened, how I was able to create that barrier. It didn't make sense. I closed my eyes and groaned. Maybe I'm cursed. 

The nurse came in. She was rather pretty, but I'm too tired to care. She rattles off some cheerful comments and then leaves. I wonder how San is doing. The door opens again. This time, it is a dark haired young woman wearing a business suit and sunglasses. I raise an eyebrow…or at least attempt too. 

"Mr. Sanchez?" she asks. I nod wearily, a creepy feeling going up my spine. She walks over and drops and envelope on my chest. 

"Consider it a warning." She says, then leaves, high heels clacking. I frowned and fumbled as I try to pick it up and open it. I drop the paper inside twice trying to read it. When I got it still, the print made my eyes go bleary. Groaning in frustration, I closed my eyes, and pressed the red button. A few minutes later, the nurse came in. 

"Yes?" 

"Can you read me what this says?" I ask. She takes the paper, frowning. 

"It says, 'To Officer Sanchez. By the time you reach the end of this letter, you will know who I am. This is your first warning-oh my!" she looks up pale. I close my eyes. 

"Please read the rest." 

She gulps and reads the rest out loud. " 'This is your first warning. Don't take it lightly. Drop it now and you and your partner will be spared. Continue and your family is dead. If you distrust me on this, a token is included with the note. Do us both a favor and get off my back.'" She looked up. "Its signed 'Onigumo'." She whispered. 

I close my eyes and sighed. Onigumo is the code name of a drug lord/crime boss San and I have been tracking for over three months. We were working on the case separately, but recently we were partnered with each other. I looked in the envelope and a tiny plastic bag fell out. It contained a ring. My heart stopped. It was my mother's engagement ring. 

"Are you okay?" the nurse asked timidly. 

"I need to make a phone call." I said, my throat dry. "Please. I need to call my Father." 

"Okay." The nurse hands me the phone. I numbly dial my Father's café. Maria answers. 

"Hello." 

"Maria?" 

"Gabe!" 

I smile at the sound of her voice. "Is Mom there?" 

There is a silence. My heart stops again. "Maria?" 

"Mom went to go see Grandfather again." She said softly. "But that was a week ago. We haven't heard from her, but you know how she is. Sometimes she forgets to call." 

I swallow. "Yeah, I know." Another pause. 

"Gabe, is everything okay? You sound…" she trails off, as if she's afraid of the answer. 

"I'm in the hospital-" I start and she interrupts with a small cry. 

"Hey, don't sweat it. I'm perfectly fine." I lied. " No gun wounds." 

"Okay." She says timidly. "I'll tell dad you called." 

"You do that." I say. "I've got to go now." 

"Okay, bye." 

"Bye, and Maria?' 

"Yeah?" 

I take a breath. "Don't go anywhere alone, especially at night, okay?" 

"Why?" she asks suspiciously. 

"Just promise me you won't." 

"I promise." She says numbly. We say good bye and she hangs up. I hand the nurse the phone and collapse against the pillows, suddenly so tired I can't even hold my eyelids open. As darkness comes, I smile wryly. This is happening far too often…

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Jaid: Okay, I hope you all enjoyed it! Please leave a review and tell what you think! 

Lilly-monster – Wow, thanks! You have no idea how much that relieves me. I wanted so hard for it to seem real. Well, you wanted a sequel and here it is! ^__^ 

AutumnFire – O.O Omg, you're right! That's too weird…almost scary. I have only read the beginning so far, haven't had time to read the rest, but I hope my story so far isn't too much like hers. I wouldn't anybody to think I was stealing…

Ley – Thank you!!! You really are a reviewer that keeps me going, ya know that? ^__^ 


	2. II

Jaid: Thanx all, for the wonderful compliments! Here's another chapter for you guys!

Jad: This is the second time you've forgotten, you know. 

Jaid: Hm?

Jad: It's called a disclaimer, Jaid. This is how we do not get sued. 

Jaid: Sure, spoil my fun…

Jad: *Sigh*

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Jad: Jaid does not own anything. She would argue that she owns Gabe, but we all know it's just wishful thinking. Takahashi-sama owns it all. Well, except for Miaka and Sari. Jaid definitely owns them.

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(Kagome's POV)

Several days passed and nothing happened. Gabe was eventually released from the hospital and returned home. I went to visit the family shrine a lot after that. My grandfather had died several years earlier, but I found a sense of peace as I sat under the God Tree, Miaka in my lap.

Hojo was on the edge, I could tell. I suppose I was as well. We didn't know what was going to happen. 

Right now, we are both under the God Tree, just sitting. Miaka makes various baby noises as she lies in her carrier. The summer breeze lightly blows my hair from my face as I look into the distance. I smile slightly as I remember when Hojo proposed. It had been a day like this, sunny and carefree. Only this day wasn't so easy. 

"What are we going to do?" Hojo's voice was quiet. 

"I don't know. Be on our guard." I answered. He turned towards me. 

"You know him. You've fought him. I've only seen him through dreams…" he stopped, struggling for words. 

"He'll try to turn us against each other." I said softly. "That's how he works. Though deceit, hate, anger, distrust. But there's one thing he doesn't understand." I smile. "He doesn't understand love." I reach for Hojo's hand and squeeze it. "And that's what's gonna bring him down." 

Hojo smiles and leans his head against mine, so that our noses were touching. "It takes a lot to dampen your spirits, huh?" 

I only continue to smile at him. 

"I'm a pretty luck guy." He whispers and kisses me. I lean into it, but then Miaka starts to cry. I pull away, rolling my eyes. Hojo just gives me a crooked smile and leans against the tree as I start to nurse the baby. For a long time, it's quiet.

"Are we going to be okay?" 

I look up from burping Miaka. Hojo looks at me. 

"I guess I shouldn't be the one asking that." Hojo smiles wryly. "After all, it's my job to protect you, right?" 

I shake my head. "We'll watch out for each other." 

Miaka squeals. 

"And you too." I laugh lifting my baby up and rubbing her nose against mine. Miaka coos and grabs a handful of my black hair. 

"Stop that." I say, softly laughing. Hojo disentangles her fists from my hair. He looks down at me and I look up at him. 

"Don't worry, Hojo. It'll be fine." 

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(San's POV) 

I look up as somebody tosses a packet onto my desk. Gabe stands there. 

"Chief said you should look at that." He says. I watch him for a moment. It's his first day back and he's continued looking strained and pale. He sinks into the chair of his own desk and holds his head in his hand. I open the packet and out falls a note, an envelope, and a ring, all in separate bags and neatly labeled. 

"Read the note." Gabe says in a low voice. 

I glance over it, then my head snaps up. "Has this been tested?" 

"Yes, it has. Only my fingerprints and the nurse's. Same with the envelope and the ring." He swallows and stands. "That's my mother's ring. And she hasn't contacted my family for a little over a week. We don't know where she is."

"Shit." 

"I could come with something stronger." He smiles wanly and begins to put the stuff away. "Anything about the harbor?" 

"We've gotten two reports so far, but…" I roll my eyes. 

"Shaka and Gurantai again, huh?" 

"Yeah." 

He chuckles. "They are persistent, you have give them that." 

"Yeah, well, that doesn't do us any good if they don't give real information." I hand him a file with the reports. He scans them. 

"Okay, so we're headed for the Harbor." He says, closing the folder. 

"I guess you're driving?" I raise an eyebrow, standing. He shoots me a charming a grin. 

"Don't I always?" 

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(Hojo's POV) 

The break today helped me gain some composure. But I'm still on edge. Kagome seems so cool, so collected. She smiles and discusses teacups with the elderly woman who comes in. I look back at the computer where I was checking up on our website. 

"You okay?" Kagome's cool hands press down on my shoulders and neck. 

"Yeah. This website's giving me trouble." 

"Hm, so that's why you were so tight." 

"Yeah." I look up at her and smile. "You know we spent the whole morning at the shrine?" 

"Yeah?" 

"We missed a ton of calls." 

Kagome rolls her eyes. "So?" 

I chuckle. "Just thought you should know that Mr. What's-his-face-"

"Mr. Surati." Kagome corrects. 

"Mr. Surati," I say. "says that he's found some lovely jade figures and is willing to sell or trade for them. He says to expect his daughters in a few days." 

"Oh good." Kagome smiles down at me. "It'll be good to see Cory and Ren again." 

I smiled. Cordelia and Renita Surati preferred nicknames to the heavy Victorian ones picked out by their parents. Both young women have a flair for antiques and a love for history that comes with the job. The funny thing is, both are adopted. Cordelia is a tall, slender blonde with vivid blue eyes and a figure that could easily pass for a model's, while Renita is short, brown and the definition of the word 'cute'. 

"Okay, feeding time." Kagome sighs as Sari appears in the doorway, holding a crying Miaka. 

"Didn't you just do that?" 

"Babies take up a lot of attention." Kagome says to me. 

"And husbands don't?" 

"Hojo." Kagome rolls her eyes while I chuckle. Shaking her head, she climbs the stairs. Sari walks over and rests her chin on the computer desk, staring at me with her dark eyes. 

"Need something?" I ask. She shakes her head. And then proceeds to watch my every move. This makes me rather nervous and I soon give up on the website and decide to check on the art gallery we have in the back. Sari follows and makes comments on various pictures. We stay for a moment, while I try to explain the oddities of "modern art" to a twelve-year-old mind, but are interrupted by the phone ringing. I rush back to the shop and pick it up. 

"Hello, Kasha's antiques." I say. Kagome and I got the name from the first two letters of her name and the last three of mine. 

"Hello, Mr. Hojo!" British accented Japanese greets me. I smile. It's Cory. 

"Where are you?" 

"Driving around, trying to find a decent hotel. Ren got us lost." 

There is a loud protest in the background and I grin. 

"You're not supposed to be here. You're father said you wouldn't be here for a couple of days at least." 

"Well, dear old Dad sometimes makes mistakes." Cory says cheerily. "We'll probably pop in tomorrow, as soon as we all get settled." 

"Great." I say, leaning against the counter. "We look forward to the stuff your bringing." 

"We know." Cory laughs. "So, tomorrow then! Bye!" 

"Bye." I hang up chuckling. 

"What's up?" Kagome walks down the stairs, Miaka over her shoulder. 

"That was Cory." 

"They got here fast." 

"Yeah." I agree as Kagome carefully transfers the fed baby to Sari. The girl then sits on the steps, burping Miaka in an important manner. Kagome and I look at each other and chuckle. 

The door opens and a tall, slender woman with black hair wearing sunglasses enters. 

"Mr. And Mrs. Hojo?" she asks, walking up to the counter. I nod. The sunglasses come off, revealing eyes the color of fine brandy. 

"My name is Katya Ishurugi. I was told that you have some good specimens of old English furniture?" 

"Yes." Kagome smiles. "Most of it is in the art gallery. This way please." 

Katya smiles and nods, walking towards the door my wife mentioned. Kagome turns to me and whispers, "She's not here for furniture. Keep an eye out." 

Before I can say anything, she follows the other woman into the gallery. 

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(Gabe's POV) 

San and I headed for the harbor. We used a plain car and both of us wore street clothes; San in jean shorts, with a black long sleeved top, as well as black boots. I'm wearing jeans, a white tank top and a red hooded sweatshirt over that. Instead of having my hair in a ponytail, I leave it out, using a dark blue bandanna to keep it out of my face. 

"So." I commented as we begin to walk. "Any clue as to how to do this?" 

"Shaka said that if we wanted to see him, we have to head to…" she stops and pulls a piece of paper out her pocket. "Warehouse 33." 

"Great." I grimace. #33 is probably the most likely to fall down around us as we talk. Shoving my hands into my pockets, we both start walking quickly. 

It is summer, and soon I shed my sweatshirt jacket and tie it around my waist. We come up on Warehouse #33. A door bangs back and forth ominously, hanging on only one hinge. 

"Charming." I mutter, more to lighten the mood than anything else. "How much do you think to re-decorate?" 

"Too much." San mumbled back, then does a double take as I grin. She narrows her eyes at me (a look I see all too often), then walks inside. I follow, but there is something I don't like about the air. I look up at the sun. It shines, but for some reason, seems dull, almost gray. A chill goes down my spine. I shake it off and step inside. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(San's POV) 

Gabe and I walk into the abandoned warehouse. We both come here a lot, posing as drug buyers. I'm known as Akiko; Gabe goes by his first name, Miroku. We look around. 

"Hey, Shaka!" I call out. "Come out where we can see ya!" My voice echoes, but there is no response. No gray, cringing old man comes out, hunched over and shaking his head. No whining voice responds. I frown and glance at Gabe. He seems distracted. 

"Shaka?!" I call again. "Look, I don't have all day. Get out here now!" 

"I don't think he's here." Gabe murmurs. I swallow. A trap? Maybe, but there aren't many who could sell us out. The only people who know of our real identities are fellow cops. 

But then again, who said cops couldn't be bought as well?

Almost unconsciously, both Gabe and I stand back to back. I cross my arms, feeling the familiar coldness of the gun in my jean pocket. It's a tiny one, with not much ammo. Gabe has another concealed in his sweatshirt. I can tell he's reaching for it. 

"Is anybody here?" Gabe asks. 

"Yesssss." A hissing voice answers and I feel my heart leap up into my throat. The voice is strange, but vaguely familiar. It's almost like the voices of those little snake creatures that attacked us before, but deeper, more drawn out. 

"Who are you?" Gabe calls out and the strength and confidence in it surprise me. "What do you want with us?" 

"Foolsssss." 

"What are you talking about?" I demand. "Where's Shaka? We came here for our dope; we want it now." 

There is a deep throaty, almost gurgling laugh. "Yessss, they want it now. But do we give it to them?" 

A myriad of giggles rises up. 

"RUN!" Gabe shouts and pushes me towards the doorway. I don't have to think twice as I bolt, hearing his footsteps behind me. As we get back into the daylight, I stop. 

"What the hell-?" 

The sky and even the air has become a murky gray. 

"I don't know." Gabe says. His eyes are huge. Grabbing my arm in a tight grip, we run through the strangely empty alleyways. Reaching the non-descript, rather beat up car we use here, Gabe lets me go and fumbles for keys. He's shaking violently and his breathing is labored. 

"What's wrong?" I ask. 

"I don't know!" he answers, then slaps the keys into my hand. "I don't think I can drive; I can't breath-" he breaks off and collapses into the passenger seat, clutching his chest. I stand stunned, but the whispers of a gurgling laugh and millions of giggles prod me into climbing into the car and starting it. With disregard for the speed limit, I press down on the gas pedal and we speed away. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(Hojo's POV) 

I didn't like leaving Kagome with that woman, especially after what my wife had said. But it proved unavoidable. First, some customers came in, and then Kagome firmly pressed me out of the room. 

"I'm not leaving you alone!" I hissed. She scowled at me. 

"You glaring and glowering at her! For God's sake, Inu-Yasha, can you be more clueless? I'll be fine. Go watch the counter." 

So that's what I'm doing; watching the bloody counter. I sigh in frustration, right before I realize that this is the closest to an argument that we've had for months. Kagome is usually so calm and cool. Sometimes I wonder if somehow, she gained some of Kikyo's characteristics, just as I have gained some of the former Inu-Yasha's. 

Thoughts on the matter are firmly wiped away as I suddenly felt something like a shock goes through me. There was something wrong; something evil in the air. Frowning, I walked to the front door. 

The air and sky are dark and stuffy. I blink. This is summer. Sure it's humid and hot, but not cloudy. There is a weird thing with the light, everything seems darkened. Suddenly my heart stops and I run for the Tetsusaiga. I don't know how I know, but somebody I care about is in trouble. In deep trouble. 

"I'm afraid you'll have to come back later, Ishurugi-san. We need to close up shop early today." I hear Kagome approach and with difficulty, I put the sword down behind the counter. Kagome and the woman walk to the door, my wife talking prettily and cheerfully all the while. Once Ishurugi is gone, Kagome turns to me, seriousness on her face. 

"Something's gone wrong." 

"Again?" I ask dryly. Kagome ignores my sarcasm. 

"It's Gabe and San again, isn't it?" 

"How the hell should I know?" 

"Because no damned youkai is attacking us!" Kagome snaps.

"Fine, I'll go look for him. You stay-" 

"I'm coming with you." She interrupts. 

"No, you're not."

"Yes I am, Inu-Yasha Hojo, and you can't stop me!"

"Kagome! No! What if you get hurt-"

"And you won't? Is that it?"

"Yes! No!" I stop for a moment frustrated. "Kagome, we have Miaka to think about-"

"You're forgetting that Gabe is my friend too." Kagome says in a low voice. We both shut our mouths and glare at each other, before the fire dies out of her eyes. 

"He's doing it." 

"Who?" 

"We haven't argued for months. Not like this anyway." 

I shrug. "All couples…" I trail off. She's right. In crisis, we tend to work together; our arguments are often about silly things, were we just yell at each other to let off steam and then everything's fine. 

"We close early." Kagome says calmly. 

"Take Sari home and drop off Miaka at your mother's." I continued for her. 

"Then we look for Gabe and San." She finished. I nod, feeling calmer now that we're both acting a little more normally. 

"Let's go." Kagome says gravely.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jaid: Whew! There you guys go! Hope you enjoy, 'cause I can't promise when the next chapter will be up. Mainly because I don't exactly know how this is going to turn out…have you ever known how you were going to end something, but not how to get there? *sighs and beats head against wall*

Sadprincess2002 – My first reviewer! You get a hug! Lol, hope you liked this chapter. 

A-chan – Yup! And he learns more about it later on. I'm still not sure if I'll have him be more elegant in style, or just stick to Inu-Yasha's "hack-it-till-it-dies" technique. ^__^ As for San, well, come to your own conclusions. That's all I can say for now. Yes, I think Gabe will eventually find out who he is. I'm being horrible to him right now though…

Iris Omega – You read it! (I've been saying this to you way too much lately, huh? Lol, sorry nin mellon.) I'm so glad you like it! And don't worry; if I have my way you *will* know more about IY…*evil cackle* 

Sakura Kounji - *blushes* You have been very gracious in your compliments! Thank you for the reviews on "A Second Chance" and "A Full Basket" as well as on this one. And thanx for commenting on my grammar and description. Sometimes I wonder if anybody notices them. ^__^ ACK! Not a sugar high Shippo! Oh well…knowing my house, he'd probably fit right in…

Ley – You reviewed! *dances around* That makes me happy for some reason that I can't quite ascertain, except that you like my stories in another anime! *dances more* Okay, that sentence didn't quite make sense. Lol, so glad you enjoyed it!


	3. III

Jaid: Hello all! Here's the next chappy. I hope you enjoy! Reader response is at the bottom. 

Jad: Where's Naga? 

Jaid: I locked him up. I didn't want to be made fun of today.

Jad: *sweatdrop* Ooookay…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`

(San's POV) 

"They're following us." Gabe said. 

"I know." I answered, a chill going down my spine as I swerve into a lane behind a red car. I glance at him. He seems fine now, though his breathing does seem to be slow and a little heavy. He's leaning forward in his seat, almost as if he's listening for something. 

"San, look out!" he shouts. I look at the road, and then slam on the brakes as all the other cars around us stop for a red light. 

"Okay." Gabe said, after recovering. "Good thing we have our badges on us. We can always claim police business, right?" 

I glared at him. He looked back innocently. 

"What?" 

"This really is not a time to joke around." 

"I was being serious." 

Tightening my jaw in annoyance, I looked at the road again. We were almost too the police station, when all of a sudden, a few dozen of those snake things suddenly rose out of the ground and hurtled themselves at us. I screamed and turned sharply to avoid them, nearly driving another car off the road. One hit the windshield and cracked it. I got the car back under control and stomped down on the gas pedal with all I had. There is the sound of glass breaking behind us and I know that they are chasing us. 

"San! Stop the car." Gabe orders. 

"Yeah, and then do what?" I ask sarcastically. 

"I don't know, but if they get in here…" 

I hate it when he's right. I pull off the road and we both get out. The things come right after us and we start to run. Ducking in an alleyway, we run to the next street, only to realize that the snake-things have only guessed our movements and come at us from the front. They head towards us and we both dodge. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(Gabe's POV) 

I dodge the things as best I can; the strange oppressive feeling in my chest is there, but not as severe as it first was. San cries out as she barely moves out of the way and a snake creature hits her stomach, cutting her deeply as it passes by. 

"San!" I shout, picking up a pipe that was on the ground. I can't risk shooting my gun, but damn it all, we've got to do something! I beat one away and it evaporates. I blink and start hitting them as best I can. San sinks to the ground slowly and doesn't move. I stand in front of her, trying to protect her as best I can, but I wasn't as fast I as I needed to be. I've gotten cut too, and I can feel my limbs slowly becoming numb. A creature comes up and actually bites my leg. Crying out, I swing at it, trying to get it off, but it doesn't budge. I sink to one knee and look at the remaining monsters. 

'So this is it.' I think. 'Well, it's one heck of a way to go. I just wish I knew what is going on.' 

All of a sudden, there's a flash and a yell. The creatures scream and scatter. Hojo stands in front of me, a huge sword in his hand. Kagome is close behind. I look at them confused. 

"What the hell?" I ask hoarsely. Hojo drops and the sword and as it leaves his hand and falls to the ground, it becomes a rusted, old katana. Hojo grabs me by the shoulders. 

"Are you okay?" he demands. 

"Yeah." I answer, sounding a little slurred. The pipe, which I've just noticed is glowing with a faint blue, drops from my hands. "Just fine." 

Then I black out. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(Hojo's POV) 

Gabe slumped forward and I supported him as Kagome ran to San. The girl was still conscious, but she held an arm around her midsection and was breathing heavily. Blood dripped to the ground. 

"What are they?" she demanded. "What's going on?" There's desperation in her voice that cuts me, but I can give no answer. 

"I don't know." I answer. "Nobody does." 

"Shh, it's okay, San." Kagome says soothingly. "Can you stand?" 

San nods hesitantly and Kagome helps her to her feet and we drag them both to our car. I deposit Gabe in the back and run back for the Tetsusiega. Re-sheathing it, I come back and get into the car. 

"San's unconscious now too." Kagome says worriedly. J

"Hospital?" I ask. 

"Yeah, I guess." She answers. "No, on second thought, let's just take them home."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`

(Kagome's POV) 

Bandaging San and Gabe up brought back a lot of memories. Memories I don't really care to remember. I put the bandages away, as San sleeps in our guest room. I think they might have been poisoned and I need to get some herbs to help counteract it. 

Looking at my hands, I realize I'm shaking. Sinking to sit on the toilet seat, I place my head in my hands. It's starting all over again and I'm wondering if I'm even prepared. A ghost of a smile slips across my face and I know I must be more prepared than I was at fifteen. 

Standing, I go downstairs to check on Gabe, whom we put on the sofa. He's not there; only a red sweatshirt, a gun and a badge are left. A car starts outside and I know it's him. 

"Inu-Yasha!" I cry, running for the door. 

"What?" he yells, thundering down the stairs and running after me. "What is it?!" 

I don't answer him as I enter the garage. A piece of paper is where our car used to be. 

"Damn bastard." Hojo mutters. I bend down and pick it up. 

_"Gone to get some answers, hopefully. I'll take care of the car; don't worry. Watch over San. She's something special. Gabe" _

"I'm going to kill him." Hojo growls. "I'm going to frikken kill him." 

"I wonder where he's going." I hear myself say distantly. Looking up, I watch as the sun sets in red. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`

(Gabe's POV) 

I drive for a while, coming to an old, dirty part of town. It's dark by the time I park, lock the car and head out. I feel numb and sick as I stumble down the broken sidewalk. I must look like a messed up, drunk gangster, but as that is normal for this bit of town, the few people out don't pay me any attention. I pass a house where a redheaded young man is sitting on the porch. He gives me a strange look and calls out, "Do you need help?" 

"No man." I call back, trying to straighten my walk. "I'm fine." 

The guy doesn't answer, but I can tell he's not convinced. I stumble to an old house and climb the creaking steps. 

"Yo, anybody here?" 

A middle-aged, rather short and fat man appears in the doorway. "Sanchez-san!" he exclaims bowing. I sigh. 

"Hacchi, come on, let me in. Is Mushin here?" 

"Yes." He answers, opening the many times patched screen door. "In here." 

I step shakily over several pieces of garbage as I enter the house. Mushin is here all right, snoozing on the couch. Walking over, I swipe his pillow and whack him on the head. 

"Wake up, you old drunkard." I say loudly. Mushin snorts and then opens one eye lazily. 

"Well, if it isn't the kid." He mumbles. "Don't know anything; haven't heard anything for days." 

"This is something different." I say. "Now get up." 

Mushin sits up with difficulty. "What's wrong with you?"

"This." I snap, showing him the cuts on my arms. Kagome bandaged them nicely, but they are turning black and to tell the truth, it's freaking me out. But then again, there's not much that doesn't these days…

"Hmm…" Mushin looks over them critically. "Why come to me?" 

"Because, I think you can tell me some things I want to know. But first, I think I was poisoned. Can you…?" 

Mushin 'hmmed' and looked at my wounds. "I'm sorry, kid. But these poisons are going to kill you. Feel sick?" 

"Yeah." 

"Numb?" 

"…Yeah." 

Mushin shook his head. "Sorry. You won't live to see daylight." 

A jolt goes through me. So I was going to die after all. And not just me but San too. God, she didn't deserve that.

"Don't look so down." Mushin says and I glance at him in disbelief. 

"You'll be fine." He chuckles. I give him a fair imitation of San's glare. 

"What?" he says innocently. "Can't take a joke?" 

Growling, I smack his head. "Do you want me to arrest you?" 

"No, no need for that. Let's not be hasty." Mushin says rapidly. "I don't have the right medicines, but I can take you to a lady who does. She lives in the old apartment complex across from here." 

"Not that old witch." 

"Precisely." Mushin stands up and grabs a cane to steady his drunken walking. "Hacchi! We're going!" 

"Coming, coming." Hacchi bustles in. 

"We're going to see the witch." Mushin chuckles dryly. I stumble along after him, leaning on Hacchi, even though the guy is shorter than me. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`

(Hojo's POV) 

I waited up for Gabe till eleven. He didn't come back. I fell asleep on the couch, only waking after Kagome found me at about three in the morning. San wasn't looking good; pale and her breathing was very slow. 

"What are we going to do?" I ask. 

"I don't know." Kagome answers. 

Down below, we hear a car pull up and then a few moments later, the door opens. We rush downstairs. A short, fat little man stands there, shaking like a bowl of jelly.

"You are the Hojos?" he asks in a quavering voice. 

"Yes." I answer. The little man holds out a packet.

"These herbs will help your friend." he says, then bows. "I come from Sanchez-san." 

"Where is he?" I ask. 

"Um…" the man pauses. "I'm not sure. I brought your car back." 

I must have looked stressed, because Kagome steps forward with a pleasant (though slightly tired) smile. 

"Thank you. Any directions for the medicine?" 

"Yes, the powder needs to be put in tea. The other stuff can be applied to the wound. You do know how?" 

"Yes." Kagome nods. The man bows low then scuttles out. I turn to Kagome. 

"What is up with that?" 

She shrugs as she walks to the kitchen. "Obviously there's something that Gabe doesn't want us to know." 

"I got that." I say as she puts water on to boil. "I wish he wasn't so secretive all the time." 

"It could be harmful." Kagome agrees, but there is a hint of sarcasm to her words. She turns to me. "Why don't you go on to bed? You've got to deal with the Surati girls tomorrow." 

I groaned. "Don't remind me. Damn. I was hoping Gabe would help me out. Cory seems to like him." 

Kagome pushes me a little towards the door. "Go to bed. I'll take care of San and be there later." 

"You're sure?" 

"Inu-Yasha…" 

"I'm going, I'm going." 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(Gabe's POV) 

The old lady gave me something to drink and it knocked me out. By the time I woke up, I was back in Mushin's house. I heard him bustling in the kitchen, singing a song at the top of his lungs. Blinking, I sit up somewhat groggily, then inspect my cuts. They are no longer black; in fact they are very nearly healed. Impressive. 

Standing shakily, I walk to the doorway. Mushin is attempting breakfast and poor Hacchi is actually the one making it, trying to work around the drunkard. 

"Hey." I say. The two look up.

"Sanchez-san!" Hacchi greets enthusiastically. No matter how many times I've told him to call me Gabe, he doesn't. I swear, he'd call me master if I let him. 

"How you feeling boy?" Mushin asks, looking at me critically. Hacchi takes advantage of Mushin's distraction and whisks away the bowl of eggs Mushin was trying to scramble. 

"Tired, a little shaky. But a damn sight better than I was last night." I say. Mushin nods and grins approvingly. 

"You'll have to pay her you know." He comments. I sigh, put my hand in my pocket and pull out my wallet. Opening it, I pull out all that's in there. About 6000 yen. 

"Here. You can keep whatever she doesn't take." 

Mushin's eyes grow wide as he takes the money. 

"But," I add. "You have to split it with Hacchi." 

The short man looks up with an extremely grateful look. 

"I'll go use the bathroom." I say quickly before he can thank me profusely. I hate it when he does that; makes me feel weird. 

After breakfast, I say my good byes and head out. I'm going to have to walk and mentally curse myself for not keeping enough money to at least catch the bus home. 

"Hey." 

I turn. It's the same guy from last night, but now he's raking up his small yard. 

"Hi." I answer. 

"You feeling okay?" he asks. 

"Yeah." I answer, a little slowly. "Thanks for asking." 

The young man smiles, but it's tinged with sadness that is echoed in his green eyes. "Your welcome. Headed home?" 

I nod. 

"Need a ride? I noticed Hacchi taking your car." 

"You know them?" 

"Well, we are neighbors." He comments, somewhat wryly. I grin. 

"Yeah, I guess." 

"A ride?" he raises an eyebrow. 

I look at him critically for a moment, but he seems all right. I still have the talent for knowing things about people right after I meet them and he feels fine to me. I shrug. 

"Sure, why not?" 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`

Jaid: Well, I wanted to do more, but I think I'll save it for another chapter. I didn't change Mushin or Hacchi's names; it was simpler not too. Hope you like! Remember, R&R!!!

Reviewer Response: 

Sakura Kounji: lol, thanks again! Oh good, somebody understands, lol. ACK! GET SHIPPO OUT OF THE SUGAR QUICK!!!!!

Ley: Ooh, I'm sorry. Flu is a bummer. I got it and had to go the hospital because I had no liquid left in my body. x_x Yeah, I still love GW too, but Inu-Yasha's so cool! 


	4. IV

Jaid: Sorry about the long update people! I had the chapter almost finished, but then my disk was infected or something and it wouldn't let me open my document. So I had to start over from scratch. X__X Anywayz, here it is! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(Hojo's POV) 

I opened shop as usual the next morning, but not in a very good mood. I guess it had something to do with only getting a couple hours of sleep. I'm afraid I was less than civil when Cory and Ren arrived; however, neither commented on it, for which I was grateful. 

"Looks like you've been doing pretty well." Cory commented, taking in the picture gallery. 

"We've tried." I answer. 

"Where is Kagome, by the way?" Ren asked. "I've been looking forward to seeing her all this time." 

"She had to stay home with the baby." I say quickly. Ren accepts this answer. After some minor discussion on what we could do to make the gallery better, we both go to the front and look over some of the antique jewelry. 

"You ought to get some interested people, especially in these rings." Cory said. "They're lovely." 

The door opened and Gabe strode in. He grinned at me and I grinned back before I remembered I was supposed to be angry with him and then reverted my freatures to a scowl. Ren and Cory were enthusiastic to see him, however. It was half an hour before the girls left and I was able to corner him. 

"Where the hell have you been?" I demanded. "Do you know how worried we were?" 

"I'm sorry, but I had to go somewhere." Gabe said. "Look, Hojo, I need to talk to you." 

"What about?" 

"It's…it's sort of about a case I'm working on." 

"What, it has something to do with antiques?" 

"No. Drugs. But…" Gabe sighed. "Look, there is a lot I can't tell you. What I can tell you is…be careful." 

"What do you mean?" I ask slowly, an uneasy feeling coming on. 

"I've heard your name mentioned a couple of times. It worries me. I just don't want anything to happen to you or Kagome." Gabe sighs and leans against the counter. He looks exhausted. "I tried to get some answeres, but I couldn't find anything. Nobody seems to know about these weird creatures and I can't figure out what's wrong with me." 

"You?" 

Gabe looks at me. "Didn't you see that pipe I had yesterday? It was glowing blue, Hojo. Blue! What am I supposed to make of that?" 

I look down. "I don't know." I look up again. "But I do know one thing; whatever is happening, we're going to make it, got that?" 

Gabe smiles wryly. "Got it." 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`

(San's POV) 

A nightmare. Not one I can recall, just a jumble of images and feelings that terrify you. My eyes snap open and I slowly come to be aware that I'm not in my room, I don't know where I am and that I'm hungry. Sitting up cautiously, the tightness of bandages confuses me and then yesterday comes crashing down on my head. Fear rides up in my throat; not for me, but for Gabe. The last time I remember seeing him was when he collapsed into Hojo's arms. Add to that his recent adventure, which nearly did kill him. I wasn't sure that he had survived this time. 

Getting out of bed, I walked quickly to the door. Kagome stood there, looking surprise. Then she smiled and held out some clothes. 

"I'm making some breakfast." She said cheerfully. "Altough I suppose it really should be considered lunch. Come down when you're ready." 

I go back into the room, confused. Lunch? How long have I been out? Shaking my head, I glance at the clothes. The shorts are mine, as is the underwear. The shirt is different though; a warm looking hooded shirt that is a brick red color. Slipping the night gown off, I put them on and carefully make my way down the stairs. I feel a little woozy and my mid-section is sore. 

At the bottom of the stairs is a small living room that connects with the dining room. In a play pen, a little baby is lying on it's back. I lean over in curiosity; I've never really seen babies before. The little girl in the pen looks at me with cloudy blue eyes and reaches up to grab my long dark hair. I tentively smile. 

"Hello there." I say in a whisper. The baby looks at me, wide-eyed, then gives me a huge, toothless grin that makes my heart ache. She is so young and defenseless, so innocent. I wonder what it would be like to have such a life dependent on you constantly. It would be frightening and difficult, but as I look at her smile and listen to her coo,  I have a feeling that it would be worth it. 

"San?" 

I look up to see Kagome. She puts a plate of food on the table and comes over, picking up the baby. 

"Her name is Miaka." She said soflty. "You can hold her later if you want." 

"I'd like that." I admit quietly, then we both sit down; Kagome to nurse and me to eat. Silence reigns for a little while, then I speak. 

"Where's Gabe?" 

"I don't know." Kagome looks at me with troubled eyes. "He left yesterday without us knowing." 

My fist clenches. 'Baka!' I thought. 

"You care for him, don't you?" Kagome's soft voice breaks through to me. 

"I guess. He's my partner." I say. "We…we know each other pretty well. This case has been a hard one." 

"You've had to depend on him." Kagome says, switching her baby to her other breast. "Just like he's had to depend on you, right?" 

I nod. "It's like that. You have to know your partner." I stop, not sure if she would understand if I went on further. 

"You have to know each other so well, you can read the other's movements, almost their thoughts." Kagome says, her eyes far away. "You know that they'll watch your back and you make sure to watch their's too. You discuss things; bouncing ideas off of each other. And it's more than just work. You can laugh with them, sometimes even cry because he knows and understands. Even when he's being a jerk or doesn't say or do the right thing for the moment, you forgive him, because you know he really does care, even if he can't show it. When he's sick or hurt or missing, you feel like half, because without him, you're not a whole. You'd die to save him and you know he would do the same." She looks at me. "That's what you mean, isn't it?" 

I just stare, because I don't know what to say. Kagome looks away again. 

"Yeah." I whisper. "That's pretty much it." I look down at my plate, no longer hungry. All I can do is think about Gabe. What if he's out there, sick and dying? Stupid baka, would go out by himself. Doesn't he know he's human? When I see him again, I swear-

"Look who I found." 

Hojo's voice breaks into my thoughts. I didn't even hear him enter. Behind him, is a familiar dark-haired young man. 

"Hi Kagome." His blue eyes rest on me and he looks relieved. "San." He says softly, almost in relief. "You're okay." 

"Are you?" I demand standing. 

"Just fine." 

"You'd better be." I snap angrily. "What's the big idea, Sanchez? Going off like that! What if something happened to you and I wasn't there to get you out of trouble?" 

Gabe just watches me with a soft smile. I want to slap it off his face, but I want to hug him too just because I'm so glad he's okay. Dammit. Why does he always make my emotions work this way? 

Gabe sinks into a chair and I realize he's not as fine as he said he was. He seems exhausted. Hojo comes out of the kitchen and hands him a cup of tea. 

"Arigato." Gabe says quietly, pulling off the dark blue bandanna that holds his hair back and letting it fall loosely into his eyes. 

"Any news?" I ask. He knows what I'm talking about.

"No." he answeres hoarsely. I look down. It doesn't look good. At this point I'm wondering if we'll find Mrs. Sanchez's body in a ditch somewhere. Looking up,  I meet Gabe's eyes and know he's thinking the same thing. 

"We should go." He says after a moment. "San needs to report in. Chief isn't too happy with us." 

"Fine." I spit out. "Next time, he can go check on the damn warehouse by himself." 

Gabe smiles; no, he actually laughs. "I don't think he'll take too kindly to that suggestion." 

I stand. "Thank you for everything, Mrs. Hojo." 

"Kagome." She says, holding out a slender, white hand. I take it and we smile at each other. I don't know how I know, but I have this feeling we're going to be friends. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(Gabe's POV) 

"I hate this job some days." San says, resting her face on her desk. 

It's the next day and we're both at work. Some more reports have come in; increased drug activity in the South End of the docks. And it sounded serious. 

"Any idea what this stuff is?" I ask, paging through some papers, while leaning against our filing cabinet. 

"No. They don't even have a name for it yet." San says, her voice muffled by the desk. "It's pretty powerful shit, though." 

"Yeah, seems like it." I bite my lip. I'll have to ask Hacchi and Mushin if they know anything. And that kid, what was his name? I shake my head. Kid indeed; he looked at least my own age. 

"We don't have to go in today, do we?" San asks, sounding miserable. 

"No. It's too late. We'll head out tomorrow. And we'll probably have to spend the night, so be prepared." 

"I hate this job some days." San mutters again. I smile, but without humor. 

"I know what you mean." 

"Sanchez-san?" 

We both look up. The new young polic secretary, Koharu Sanakuzi stands there blushing. I grin. I am fully aware of the crush she has on me and it's rather flattering. San is boring holes into the poor girl's skull. 

"Yes, Koharu?" 

She blushes even redder at my familiarity. "Itsumi-san wishes to speak to you. She's in the lab." The woman turns and goes. My grin has faded and a coldness pierces my heart. Miki Itsumi is the forensics doctor. San is looking at me seriously.

"You want me to come?" she asks softly. I nod my head, and swallow. 

"Okay." 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(Kagome's POV) 

Today is rather quiet. I guess I'm thankful for that but I can't help but feel something hovering on the edge of my mind; almost as if I am waiting for a storm to break out. I can't help but wonder if…if we'll be attacked. No, that's not right. I know we will, Hojo and I and San and Gabe. No, I just can't help but wonder about my daughter, Miaka; my mother, Souta. Hojo's parents; San and Gabe's families. The advantage of fighting Naraku in the Feudal Era was that there, none of us, except Sango, had any family. Here, we have ties and relationships. People that can be used against us. My throat tightens as I look at my sleeping baby and wonder if, possibly, she could die. 

I shove the thought away. I can't start thinking like that. No, I've got to take each day as it comes and face it. It's no use worrying about the future; I don't know what will happen and to worry over it will only stress me completely out. I have to be strong. Not just for my own sake and for Miaka's, but Hojo's as well. He's going to feel responsible for whatever happens to us and I know I need to be calm for him. 

Even without this problem, his own thoughts have threatened to consume him. I guess he thinks far too much about things he really can't control. I smile. It's always been that way with Inu-Yasha. I just hope Hojo doesn't tie himself into knots. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(San's POV) 

Gabe and I walk down to forensics. He looks nervous and I can tell what he's expecting. We pause before the doors. Gabe swallows and pushed them open. 

Itsumi looks up as we enter. Her pale green eyes take us in, then she jerks her head. "Come on." She says quietly. We follow her through another door to the police morgue. Often we keep bodies here for easier access during a case, then send them down to the public morgue or to a funeral home that the family has arranged for when they are no longer needed. 

Gabe has my hand and is squeezing it tightly. I make no comment about it. I'm just praying we don't find what I think. 

"I think you know this person?" Itsumi lifts a sheet and Gabe nearly sags against me. 

"Yeah." He says hoarsely. 

It's Shaka. 

"Yeah." Gabe says in a stronger voice, letting go of my hand. A slight streak of disappointment streaks through me, then I narrow my eyes, angry at the feeling. 

"He's one of our informants." My partner tells Itsumi. "Cause of death?" 

"Still working on that. Some sort of toxin." 

"Poinson?" I ask. 

Istumi shakes her head. "More like a drug overdose. But I'm not familiar with the type. Come back in a few days and I'll see what I can tell you." 

We both nod and head out. I stop by the batheroom to empty my breakfast into a toilet. No matter how many times I see a dead body, it always gets to me. Walking back out, grimacing, Gabe looks at me with concern. 

"I hate that part of the job." I mutter, wiping my lips with my hand. 

"It's not the most elegant part." He says softly. "But I find it to be one of the most inspiring." 

I glance at him, not sure whether I should be disgusted or confused. Gabe's blue eyes bore into my own. 

"Nobody," he says with a quiet deadileness. "Nobody has the right to take another's life; whether that person is a high-level diplomat or a broken, apparently worthless old man like Shaka. Taking a life deliberately and cold-bloodedly is the worst of crimes. And  I don't have pity for people who murder." 

I swallow, not sure what to say. I've never seen him so adamant. Gabe notices my look and his features relax. "Of course, one of the best things about this job is that girls are always impressed by a man in uniform." 

I smack his arm hard. "You don't have a uniform; you're a plainclothes cop, stupid." 

Gabe grins and winks at me. "They don't know that!" he calls, walking quickly towards our office. I close my eyes and shook my head. Bakayaro. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

**Sakura – lol, I'm not saying anything. You'll have to wait. **

**Keichan**** – I posted! See! See! **


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